Santonio Holmes Has No Plans of Signing RFA Tender; Future With New York Jets Up in the Air

By Dan Parzych

Wide receiver Santonio Holmes was a nice addition for the New York Jets in 2010–finishing the season with 52 receptions for 746 yards with six touchdowns in 12 games. The Jets considered themselves lucky considering they only had to surrender a fifth-round pick to acquire the former Super Bowl MVP, but they now have a difficult decision to make about his future in New York.

In a recent interview with Manish Mehta of The New York Daily News, Holmes discussed how he’s uncertain about his future with the Jets. The team placed the highest tender on Holmes back in March–but the wideout claims he has no plans of signing the RFA tender and would prefer a long-term deal.

“It’s out of my hands,” Holmes said this afternoon at a sports memorabilia show in New Jersey. “I’m a free agent this year. Whatever my agent brings to the table – the best deal for me – I’m pretty sure that’s where we’ll end up. I would love (to play for the Jets). But whatever happens, happens. I don’t know. I’ve never been in this situation before. I really don’t know how to explain it to anybody. Whatever happens… I’m happy to be wherever I end up at.”

It should also be noted that Holmes would become an unrestricted free agent with a new Collective Bargaining Agreement–so the RFA tender may not even matter. After reading this, it seems like the Jets will have to consider offering Holmes a long-term deal if they want to keep him around next season.

Otherwise–they may be forced to look for another wideout this offseason.

Dan Parzych is the Lead NFL Content Editor for RantSports.com/NFL, where he writes and edits NFL content for RantSports.com.